Political and civil unrest

FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 file photo, Police detain an activist during a protest in the center of Moscow, Russia, . People rallied Saturday against the exclusion of some city council candidates from Moscow's upcoming election. A seemingly second-tier local election has evolved into a major challenge to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, triggering the biggest protests against his rule in seven years and causing divisions among his top lieutenants. (AP Photo/File)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's lower house of parliament on Monday set up a commission to examine alleged cases of foreign interference in connection with a series of protests against the Moscow city council election, while President Vladimir Putin defended the harsh police crackdown on some of the...

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2019 file photo, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, right, speaks with Constitutional Assembly President Diosdado Cabello at the Supreme Court during an annual ceremony that marks the start of the judicial year in Caracas, Venezuela. The U.S. has opened up secret communications with Cabello as members of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face retribution if they cede to growing demands to remove him, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The U.S. has opened up secret communications with Venezuela's socialist party boss as members of President Nicolás Maduro's inner circle seek guarantees they won't face retribution if they cede to growing demands to remove him, a senior administration official has told The...

Protesters march in the rain in Hong Kong Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. Heavy rain fell on tens of thousands of umbrella-toting protesters Sunday as they marched from a packed park and filled a major road in Hong Kong, where mass pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity this summer. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong streets were turned into rivers of umbrellas on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of people marched through heavy rain down a major road in the Chinese territory, where massive pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity. Organizers said at least 1.7...

PARIS (AP) — Three riot police officers, a police commander, a police academy teacher — all are among eight French police officers who have killed themselves recently. That makes 64 so far this year — and the number just keeps on climbing. Deaths by suicide for French police now outnumber deaths in...

Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators march across the Hawthorne Bridge during an "End Domestic Terrorism" rally in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. The group includes organizer Joe Biggs, in green hat, and Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, holding megaphone. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Mexican officials cordon off the iconic Angel of Independence monument a day after protesters defaced it with graffiti, in Mexico City, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. Protests erupted in the capital this week over a perception that city officials were not adequately investigating recent rape accusations. (AP Photo/Amy Guthrie)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Workers erected a wooden wall around Mexico City's iconic Angel of Independence monument Saturday after feminists defaced it with graffiti during a raucous and violent protest over a string of alleged rapes by police. The disorder Friday night erupted as part of protests that...

Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators march across the Hawthorne Bridge during an "End Domestic Terrorism" rally in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. The group includes organizer Joe Biggs, in green hat, and Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, holding megaphone. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Gun control advocates rallied around the country on Saturday, seeking to pressure Congress to tighten the nation's gun laws after the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and Northern California. Demonstrators in Providence, Rhode Island, where several dozen people gathered. Some...

Gun control advocates have rallied around the country, seeking to pressure Congress to tighten the nation's gun laws after the recent mass shootings in Texas, Ohio and California. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in Providence, Rhode Island. Some held up signs that said, "Disarm Hate," ''Enough"...

FILE - In this Aug. 10, 2019, file photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi smiles during a news conference at a hotel in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. There’s an American leader whose words increasingly resonate abroad, who’s adored in foreign capitals and who sends a message just by her arrival. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has emerged as an alternative ambassador in the Trump era. (AP Photo/Elmer Martinez)

WASHINGTON (AP) — There's an American leader whose words resonate on the global stage. Who draws attention in foreign capitals. Who carries a message from the United States by simply arriving. It's not just President Donald Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is emerging as an alternative...